Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your
goal.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Christmas Prelude? Cranberry Nut Bars
A good reason to freeze extra bags of fresh cranberries to have on hand . . . for emergencies . . . like a much-needed munch on a Cranberry Nut Bar. These work well for snacks, dessert, or a quick breakfast on the run. I like the sour tang of the cranberries with the sweetness of the cookie and the crunch of the nuts. In fact, it just came to me that a quarter cup or so of chocolate chips thrown in the mix wouldn't be a bad thing . . . at all!
Cranberry Nut Bars
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/3 c. butter, melted
1 1/3 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon, grated orange rind
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8" square baking pan.
Beat eggs in medium bowl until thick. Gradually add sugar, beating until thoroughly blended. Stir in flour and melted butter; blend well. Add cranberries, nuts, vanilla and orange rind mixing gently until just combined. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Bake 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Ice while warm in the pan.
Icing:
Combine one cup powdered sugar with enough orange juice to make a spreadable icing. Glaze the warm cookies. let cool completely and cut into bars. Makes about two dozen cookie bars.
Cranberry Nut Bars
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/3 c. butter, melted
1 1/3 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon, grated orange rind
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8" square baking pan.
Beat eggs in medium bowl until thick. Gradually add sugar, beating until thoroughly blended. Stir in flour and melted butter; blend well. Add cranberries, nuts, vanilla and orange rind mixing gently until just combined. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Bake 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Ice while warm in the pan.
Icing:
Christmas Cookies - Easy Roll-Out Sugar Cookies
Over the years, this has been the cut-out cookie I've turned to the most. The dough doesn't need refrigerating before use. You can make it, cut them out, and bake the cookies without pause! The best party I ever had for my children when they were little was cooking decorating with friends. I baked the cookies ahead of time and on the day of the party, I set out bowls of colored icing, candies, decorations, sprinkling sugar, etc. Each child had their own tray on which to place their finished cookies. Yes, there was some mess but it was a happy crew especially when they presented their Christmas cookies to their mothers at the end of the day.
Easy Roll-Out Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 teaspoons baking powder
4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add baking powder and flour, mixing well. The dough will be stiff so you may have to blend the last bit by hand. Do not chill dough. Roll out a portion of dough to about 1/8-inch thick. Cut out desired shapes and bake on ungreased sheets for 5-8 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from baking sheets immediately and cool before decorating.
Cookie Icing
2 cups confectioners' sugar
4 tablespoons milk
4 tablespoons light corn syrup
Mix sugar and milk thoroughly. Add corn syrup and incorporate well. Icing may be divided up and tinted according to your creativity. Colored sugar, sprinkles, bits of crushed candy cane, candied fruit or nuts can brighten up your cookies.
Easy Roll-Out Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 teaspoons baking powder
4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add baking powder and flour, mixing well. The dough will be stiff so you may have to blend the last bit by hand. Do not chill dough. Roll out a portion of dough to about 1/8-inch thick. Cut out desired shapes and bake on ungreased sheets for 5-8 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from baking sheets immediately and cool before decorating.
Cookie Icing
2 cups confectioners' sugar
4 tablespoons milk
4 tablespoons light corn syrup
Mix sugar and milk thoroughly. Add corn syrup and incorporate well. Icing may be divided up and tinted according to your creativity. Colored sugar, sprinkles, bits of crushed candy cane, candied fruit or nuts can brighten up your cookies.
Saturday Morning Musings . . .
Every time we have an earthquake or storm, people pipe up with, "This is a sure sign that the End Times have started!" Seems to me that we have had an awful lot of storms and disasters so which one of them was the beginning of the End Times?
I remember learning about Adam and Eve and how they lived out their lives for the promise of a Savior. How many thousands of years went by before Jesus did arrive, as promised, to die on the cross to save us? In my humble opinion, I think the waiting for the End Times began the moment Jesus was crucified because that suffering and death brought us the promise of eternal life . . . but still left us with a lot of living to do through the ages. When Jesus Christ went back to Heaven, He promised to come again on the last day. Seems we should look back at history and practice patience because the fulfillment of God's promise to send a Savior happened in His own time . . . as will the End Times. As mere humans, we are being kind of smug in annointing each and every disaster as the beginning of the End Times as the only way we will know the conclusion is when it happens. Millions of people have already faced their personal End Times so we might consider the practicality of concentrating on our individual part in the world and do the best we can so we will be at the hand of the just when the End Times do catch up with the human race.
Just my moderate musings of the morning!
I remember learning about Adam and Eve and how they lived out their lives for the promise of a Savior. How many thousands of years went by before Jesus did arrive, as promised, to die on the cross to save us? In my humble opinion, I think the waiting for the End Times began the moment Jesus was crucified because that suffering and death brought us the promise of eternal life . . . but still left us with a lot of living to do through the ages. When Jesus Christ went back to Heaven, He promised to come again on the last day. Seems we should look back at history and practice patience because the fulfillment of God's promise to send a Savior happened in His own time . . . as will the End Times. As mere humans, we are being kind of smug in annointing each and every disaster as the beginning of the End Times as the only way we will know the conclusion is when it happens. Millions of people have already faced their personal End Times so we might consider the practicality of concentrating on our individual part in the world and do the best we can so we will be at the hand of the just when the End Times do catch up with the human race.
Just my moderate musings of the morning!
No respect for heroes!
As they offer a memorial on 9/11 this year, what a tragedy they are offering the people of the United States in their disrespect of the policemen, firemen, and first responders of that dark day. I just can't figure out why these people are not on the invitation list. My memories of that day, besides the smoke and devastation, were the police, firemen, and responders running straight into the burning buildings without a second thought. They were doing their job and put their own safety second in trying to save as many people as possible. No one knew exactly what was going on but these people didn't stop and consider, they raced to help. They put their lives on the line and they aren't given the consideration of an invitation ten years later? They were the backbone of sanity in a very confused disaster. What about the families of these men who have gone through the last ten years without that husband or son? You would think they would be on the invitation list to honor the survivors and the fallen.
Also, word is out that no prayer or clergy will be in attendance. Wasn't it prayer and comfort from our priests, pastors, and ministers that helped us through those days after 9/11? I remember an instance where a priest raced behind the firemen heading for the towers and giving them a group absolution as it was evident they were going into an iffy situation. Where is our country's prayer of thanks in all this memorial stuff? God wasn't on the invitation list, either.
As usual, the ones 'in power' don't realize who is actually in power while they preen in front of the cameras and show their 'care' for the situation and the memories. I will definitely double my prayers on the anniversay of that day but I think I will skip watching the New York broadcast. We are a country built on faith in God and to leave out our Creator and the people who died and risked their lives that day in respect for that Creator deserve to be remembered more fully in prayer. From all reports to day, the prayer isn't coming from the actual memorial service.
Also, word is out that no prayer or clergy will be in attendance. Wasn't it prayer and comfort from our priests, pastors, and ministers that helped us through those days after 9/11? I remember an instance where a priest raced behind the firemen heading for the towers and giving them a group absolution as it was evident they were going into an iffy situation. Where is our country's prayer of thanks in all this memorial stuff? God wasn't on the invitation list, either.
As usual, the ones 'in power' don't realize who is actually in power while they preen in front of the cameras and show their 'care' for the situation and the memories. I will definitely double my prayers on the anniversay of that day but I think I will skip watching the New York broadcast. We are a country built on faith in God and to leave out our Creator and the people who died and risked their lives that day in respect for that Creator deserve to be remembered more fully in prayer. From all reports to day, the prayer isn't coming from the actual memorial service.
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